The CT ISPI Eye

CPT Standards

2005-04-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

For our 6/2/05 meeting [changed from5/26], we'll continue to discuss the CPT standards. Here are some URLs for various documents about that:

CPT site
CPT Standards PDF
Self-assessment Word document This gives a checklist of items you can rate yourself on, as well as guidance on figuring out which projects to include in the application.
CPT application (Word document)
Work description example PDF An example of a project and how it demonstrated the PT Standards.

Note: for documents, it's best to right-click and select "save target as" or "save link as" to download the documents to your computer.

Come to the meeting for the Excel spreadsheet which we're using to document our discussion!

Job Posting: I/O psychologist

2005-03-18T12:08:00.000-05:00

Here's an email I got the other day.

The Navy's Human Performance Center's product is improving performance, and we do it by conducting Human Performance Improvement (HPI) analyses that evaluate performance issues from a systematic and systemic perspective. The Human Performance Center has teams located through out the United States at Navy installations.

The HPC website is: http://www.hpc.navy.mil/hpc/index.htm

Currently, I have an opening on my team for a Team Manager at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. It is a federal government civil service position grade 13. I am looking for candidates who have demonstrated experience: in working HPI projects, in business consulting and client relations, leadership experience managing teams, experience managing financial plans and an understanding of P&L, and preferable experience working in an academic environment.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in applying for this position, please forward this email or let me know. The candidates can cut and paste the following web site into their web browser to apply for the position or to find out additional information. chart.donhr.navy.mil/jobsearch/jobdetail.asp?vid=59520

More books available for loan to members:

2004-12-16T06:54:00.000-05:00

If a chapter member wishes to borrow any of these titles, let me know before the monthly meeting and I'll bring the book.

Introduction to Performance Technology, ISPI, 1986

A selection of classic articles, such as:

An overview of Human Performance Technology: George L. Geis
Assessing Needs: Roger Kaufman
Guiding Performance with Job Aids: Joseph H. Harless
Ergonomics and Performance Aids: Peter Pipe

This book isnt available anymore, but I think it still is a great introduction to a lot of the major concerns of HPT.

Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart, Bonnie A. Nardi, Vicki L. O'Day. MIT Press, 2000.

The common rhetoric about technology falls into two extreme categories: uncritical acceptance or blanket rejection. Claiming a middle ground, Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day call for responsible, informed engagement with technology in local settings, which they call information ecologies.

An information ecology is a system of people, practices, technologies, and values in a local environment. Nardi and O'Day encourage the reader to become more aware of the ways people and technology are interrelated. They draw on their empirical research in offices, libraries, schools, and hospitals to show how people can engage their own values and commitments while using technology.

-- www.amazon.com product description

Information Anxiety 2, Richard Saul Wurman. Que, 2000

A follow up to the first edition, Information Anxiety 2 teaches critical lessons for functioning in today's Information Age. In this new book, Wurman examines how the Internet, desktop computing, and advances in digital technology have not simply enhanced access to information, but in fact have changed the way we live and work. In examining the sources of information anxiety, Wurman takes an in-depth look at how technological advances can hinder understanding and influence how business is conducted.

-- www.amazon.com product description

Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance. Thomas F. Gilbert. ISPI, 1996

This classic and provocative volume continues to provide answers to the questions of getting the most out of people. Long recognized as a precedent-breaker, Human Competence has proven itself as a source of innovative ideas for developing people. This Tribute Edition not only retains the original text Dr. Gilbert produced in 1978, it shows how it has positively, and often dramatically, affected many performance improvement professionals.

--ISPI review

ZAP the Gaps!: Target Higher Performance and Achieve It! Ken Blanchard, Dana Robinson, Jim Robinson. William Morrow, 2002

Managers at all levels within organizations often see a problem and jump to a solution. Many times the solution does not solve the problem, however, because the manager did not uncover the root cause. Blanchard and his coauthors are here to teach you how to avoid this often-destructive pitfall. In Zap the Gaps!, Bill Ambers, the director of customer service in a high-tech firm, encounters a business problem: His call center is not making its numbers. With the help of Michael St. Vincent, gardener and legendary head of Saint's Nurseries and Landscaping, he learns to systematically dig to the root of the problem, discovering along the way both the GAPS approach to performance improvement and a tool called the Gap Zapper.
With its engaging story line, vivid examples, and reader-friendly approach, Zap the Gaps! is a must read for anyone seeking to identify and correct the factors that negatively impact performance -- so that the ultimate impact is both meaningful and measurable.

--www.amazon.com

Managing Performance Improvement Projects. Jim Fuller. Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. 1997

Copublished with the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
Project teams are growing rapidly as performance improvement solutions become more complex. Project management methods are becoming necessary to successfully coordinate these large teams. Develop the skills you need to effectively manage your budget, time, and the quality of work on human performance technology projects. All the essential aspects of project development are addressed, and the process is broken down into three main areas: preparing, planning, and implementing.

You'll develop the skills to:
Define projects
Accelerate project development
Obtain sponsorship
Act as a consultant
Plan infrastructures
Create work breakdown structures
Identify dependency relationships
Manage resources and optimize the plans
Analyze risks and plan for contingencies
Estimate schedules . . . and more!

Learn what needs to be done after you finish a project to ensure success. Don't just squeak by with mediocre management. Mediocre management can stifle the development of great ideas. Ideas will get projects started. But you won't achieve superior results without effective management.

Implement Fuller's project management process today and get results!

--www.amazon.com

Resources: books for members

2004-11-15T07:12:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of the books available for loan to members of CT ISPI.

In Action : Improving Performance in Organizations, by William J. Rothwell, David D. DuBois, Jack J. Phillips

This book offers practitioners who oversee full-service training programs, human resource development (HRD) practitioners, researchers, and line managers the framework for demonstrating how to go beyond training to apply a broad range of human performance improvement (HPI) solutions. The authors represent a mix of government, business, education, and nonprofit scenarios. Some of the 11 case studies are best practices, but most present more typical approaches to applying HPI in real-world settings.

E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age
by Marc J. Rosenberg
Written for professionals responsible for leading the revolution in workplace learning, E-Learning takes a broad, strategic perspective on corporate learning. This wake-up call for executives everywhere discusses:
Requirements for building a viable e-learning strategy
How online learning will change the nature of training organizations
Knowledge management and other new forms of e-learning
The Performance Consultant's Fieldbook : Tools and Techniques for Improving Organizations and People by Judith Hale

This remarkable book is your skill-builder and resource guide. The step-by-step Fieldbook shows you how to make the professional transition to a performance consulting career.

The Fieldbook details the techniques you need to conduct performance interventions and offers a customizable collection of worksheets, flowcharts, planning guides, and job aids. You'll use these resources to structure your presentations, to ensure clear communication, and to build client confidence.

Employees don't need to learn more; they need to perform better. And as a performance consultant armed with Hale's Fieldbook, you will have the tools you need to effect measurable enhancements in performance.
Improving Performance : How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) by Geary A. Rummler, Alan P. Brache

Streamline the processes vital to optimum performance

With over 100,000 copies sold worldwide, Improving Performance is recognized as the book that launched the Process Improvement revolution. It was the first such approach to bridge the gap between organization strategy and the individual. Now, in this revised and expanded new edition, Rummler and Brache reflect on the key needs of organizations faced with today's challenge of managing change. With multiple charts, checklists, hands-on tools and case studies, the authors show how they implemented their Performance Improvement methodology in over 250 successful projects with clients such as Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Shell Oil, and Citibank.
Performance Intervention Maps: 36 Strategies for Solving Your Organization's Problems
by Sivasailam, "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, Ethan S. Sanders

While it might be easy to come up with a select few interventions you know a lot about, it's far tougher to spell out the full range of interventions available to trainers today, the benefits and limitations of each, and how they interrelate. This book helps you to gain a working knowledge of the best interventions for improving performance. Quickly locate and comprehend the differences and similarities of the interventions, and know how and when to use each. Learn from experienced practitioners in the field how these interventions are selected and implemented in all types of organizations.

Events: The Macromedia E-Learning Seminar Series

2004-10-22T07:07:00.000-04:00

Macromedia Breeze is sponsoring a series of free online seminars for anyone's who is a : "Corporate Trainer, E-Learning Content Developer, Instructional Designer, Technology Coordinator, Technology Director."

Here are some of the titles and dates. They're all 1 - 2 PM ET. You can get full details by clicking the title of this post.

Training and Performance Metrics – Getting Value from Measurement 10/28/04
Rapid E-Learning – Here and Now 11/11/04
Making the Most of Virtual Classrooms 11/18/04
Blending Training and Support for Software Applications 12/2/04
Building Captivating Simulations for E-Learning 12/9/04

If you attend one of these, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the sessions. You can either post a comment here, or, if you're a member of CTISPI, post a blog entry yourself. (Contact Sabine to sign up.)

I haven't attended any Macromedia seminars, but, obviously, all these free online events are sponsored by someone, and so there's always a slant towards or mention made of the product or company. Still, I have attended some valuable sessions this way, so I'm planning on checking these out, especially the one on Simulations, which is a particular interest of mine.
______________________________

(As a side note, I got the announcement via an email. When I clicked on the link, I noticed that the URL in the address bar ended with "&trackingid...." I don't like seeing that; it means that they know the source of the link. When I backspaced over that part of the URL, I got the exact same page. I don't know what the tracking id tracks -- the general source of the link -- email vs from a web page? -- or if it actually identifies the email recipient. Maybe I'm being paranoid or just plain contrarian, but I edited the URL above so that the tracking info is not included.)

Feedback and ideas from 10/21/04 meeting

2004-10-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight's the big night -- our first meeting of the 2004-2005 season.

We're trying a mini-cracker barrel, and the details are on our website.

We're going to meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month, and we are planning the meetings for the rest of the year.

Right now we have a few openings in 2005: Jan 20, March 17th, and April 21st.
If you have any suggestions for speakers, if you want to suggest we do a full session with any of our speakers from tonight, or if you have a presentation that would fit the HPT model, let us know.

Give us your feedback in the comments section. You can remain anonymous or share your contact info. It's up to you.

Resources: Learning Times Network

2004-10-20T11:35:00.000-04:00

The LearningTimes Network (LTN) of communities continues to grow and offer a wide range of professional development, networking and collaboration opportunities for education and training professionals around the globe. Click on the title above to go to their latest newsletter.
Membership is free.

Two things that might be of particular interest to CTISPI members:

CERTIFIED SYNCHRONOUS TRAINING PROFESSIONALS (CSTP)

Have you noticed a "CSTP" designation on business cards, e-mail signatures, or resumes of your colleagues? Or seen a Golden Squirrel Seal hanging prominently on an office wall? These unique symbols represent that this person has acquired the skills, experience, and dedication to merit the title "Certified Synchronous Training Professional". LearningTimes and InSync Training are proud to have issued several hundred certificates this year. CSTPs build high quality interactive and collaborative educational and training programs, and maintain a level of professionalism that has led to several recent industry awards recognizing their efforts. CSTPs produce these courses and events on every major synchronous platform in the market, which has certainly helped their organizations take full advantage of a wide range of educational and community building technology investments.

Online classes begin each month, and include a Synchronous Training Primer, followed by Facilitation, Design, and Certification classes. Consider joining us on October 28th for our next free "Learn to Learn Online" class:

http://home.learningtimes.net/insync?go=557582

... or visit http://www.learningtimes.net/synccertified.shtml for more information.
BMRA WEBCASTS on ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR"Timeless Solutions for 21st Century People Problems"
LearningTimes partner BMRA, a women-owned small business that provides professional education to Federal, state and local government agencies and other organizations, has invited LearningTimes members to view the archived recording of a recent session, entitled "Foundations of Organizational Behavior, Or Why Does That Person Annoy Me and What Can I Do About it?" The session kicks off a 5-part series on "Timeless Solutions for 21st Century People Problems".

To view the free recording of the first session, visit:

http://home.learningtimes.net/learningtimes?go=567313

Malcolm Munro's five-part, one-hour webcast series, "Timeless Solutions for 21st Century People Problems", gives practical information and advice on the fundamentals of individual and organizational behavior. The next webcast in the series is scheduled for 12 noon New York time, October 22. More information about the "people skills" webcast series can be found at:

http://bmra-proservices.com/hr

ISPI's PerformanceXpress

2004-09-01T15:30:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of Performance Express is up. Here's what ISPI has to say about it:

We are fortunate this month to have articles from two speakers, Harold Stolovitch and Deborah Stone, who will appear at ISPI’s upcoming Performance-Based ISD Conference, September 30-October 2, 2004. Harold writes about a clever delivery technique, the Potpourri Session, and Deborah along with Steve Villachica tells us Victoria’s Secret. In addition, John Lazar addresses Client Management and Nancy Green invites us to Go for ISPI Gold. Plus: TrendSpotters chats with Marc Rosenberg, Thiagi provides results from our last RAME, Packer moves us Into the Fall, Binder focuses on percents, and Charlotte Donaldson shares Part Two of the Re-training Solution in PT Makeovers.

What's all that stuff on the left sidebar?

2004-08-30T16:35:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are new to weblogs (or, "blogs), here's a small bit of introduction.

Blogs represent a new type of web publishing venue. The interface is simple, the cost is minimal (free in this case), and the publishing is instantaneous! What's not to like?

Check the blogroll for links to other blogs that I thought might be of interest to our members.

One great thing about weblogs is that you can subscribe to them via an aggregator. The aggregator monitors "webfeeds" (also called RSS) so that you don't have to keep remembering to go back to the blog to see if anything's new. And if you use a web-based aggregator, such as Bloglines, you can even share your list of webfeeds. That's what we did over on the left.

Here's a link to a great introduction on weblogs and webfeeds.

If you have an aggregator, you can even subscribe to this weblog, using the little orange XML icon.

Job Posting: Training Manager/Developer in Fairfield County

2004-08-20T07:41:00.000-04:00

This is from a recruiter:

TRAINING MANAGER/DEVELOPER LOWER FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CT

Great opportunity to “take the ball and run with it” in this newly created position for an industry leader. Position will entail developing and writing various soft-skills as well as other types of training programs (i.e. customer service, sales, operations, etc.). Please note our client is not looking for a traditional “stand-up/delivery only” training facilitator. Some delivery may be necessary; however, candidates should possess training development/writing skills and experience. Fast paced, entrepreneurial environment. Must be service oriented with a “roll-up sleeves” attitude. 5-10 years relevant experience ideal. Please feel free to call 203.944.0152 for more details.

Please e-mail resume as a Microsoft Word attachment with salary requirement to:

Preferred Placements, Inc.
ppinc@sbcglobal.net

Welcome

2004-08-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the CT ISPI blog! We're planning a lot of new initiatives in the upcoming 2004-2005 year, and this is one of them. I see this blog as serving as a place:

to post chapter or ISPI news,
to post announcements from members,
to post links and other resources we think would be of interest to our members.

We'll leave the comments function turned on (unless we get inundated with spam). If you are a CT ISPI chapter member, email me to become a member of this blog. Then you'll have posting privileges, too.

The CTISPI officers reserve the right to edit or delete any comments or posts for appropriateness to this forum. But if we do, we'll do our best to contact any affected members, first.

Here's to a great 2004-2005 year for CT ISPI!

Sabine Kirstein
Chapter President